Yes! You just got it all done. All the revisions on your writing done, the cover design done, and the formatting is complete. The book might be ready, but are you? It has been such a long journey and you just want to publish the book now! Well you’re the publisher, you can any time you wish. Let’s take moment to point out when uploading the book files you do not have to hit publish that very same day.
You also have the option to take a moment to breath. You haven’t set a publication date yet. So you’ve got time to give your book some runway space before it launches: get sale on the your book while making your book even better, market it a little longer, and profit from it all at the same time.
First, let’s check to see that you’ve got these items together for the upload of your book files. By the way, get that metadata checklist out, as well as the upload requirements list from the independent publishing platforms you chose to publish your book with. Below is a basic list of the upload items to have organized:
Title
Subtitle
Formats (e-book/print book)
ISBN (for each format)
Keywords
Book Descriptions
Author Bio
Exterior Files (book covers)
Interior Files (text)
Second, take a moment to double check that the file extensions are correct for the separate book formats
Now, you have checked and rechecked the book files, and metadata checklist you’re, and you probably itching to get that book out and in the readers’ hands. But wait!
You may be letting a good opportunity pass by completely ignored. The one that lets you get pre-orders. Traditional publishing companies have done this strategy for a long time with success.
You can have the satisfaction of putting the book out on the market for pre-sale, and get more time to drum up excitement around the launch of the new book. New title releases get the most attention. That means this is your book’s best opportunity to sale the most copies at one time that is possible. So take full advantage.
How to Setup Your Book for Pre-sales
When you do this, your making a commitment to everyone to have your book ready at specific date. it is important you give yourself ample and sufficient time to fully complete your book. How it works is both the “publication date” and “on-sale-date” have to be the same. At upload you choose the On-Sale Date, by clicking the, “Show more fields to improve book optimization” arrow under the Publication Date.
Complete the upload by the selection of “enable distribution”.
Pre-order Setup for IngramSpark
Set the Dates
On the calendar, chose a date your book will be made public (publication date) that’s at least 3 months out from today. And remember the further out the date the more time you give yourself to perfect the book, market, and get book pre-orders. Then do the following:
Begin the process of uploading your book files and metadata to IngramSpark’s website and follow the prompts for two dates.
Choose the same on-sale-date as publication date
(as far out as 365 days).
Add that date for both, “publication date” and “on-sale-date”.
Publication date is when book is available for the public to buy.
On-sale date is for retailers to know when they can start selling the book.
Be sure you “enable distribution” so retailers, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and bookshop.org are notified.
Note:
Remember to choose the On-Sale Date, you must click the,
“Show more fields to improve book optimization” arrow under the Publication Date. They must be the same date to get pre-orders for your book.
Inspect Eproof
Keep in mind all the following steps in the process, necessary to publish, before you choose a date that’s less than 12 months away. Ask yourself, “Can I totally complete my book in that time frame?”
IngramSpark will validates your files, after an initial digital scan and human quality inspection.
You’ll either get an error message or you’ll receive the eproof in an email.
Do not, I repeat, do not approve the eproof until you have inspected the files and caught those harder to see mistakes in the book.
At this point, you can make the fixes/revisions needed and upload file again.
IngeamSpark does not charge an additional upload fee for more file uploads, yet.
Only after you have approved the eproof do they charge a fee for additoinal uploads.
When it is all looking good, then approve the eproof.
Note:
After eproof is approved, you can still make changes to your book. But the for then on IngramSpark will not charge correction fee until for 60 days after the initial upload.
Inspect Bound Proof
After the eproof is approved you are allowed to order the bound proof. This is a physical copy of your book. You can order as many as you need. Also known as the author’s copy, bound proof, uncorrected proof, and advance reader copies (ARC), these books serve a few purposes. Use them to check the print quality, marketing tools, give aways to book reviewer, check for typos and grammar mistakes. Spotting typos may be even easer in the physical copy. You can, also, keep one for a keep sake.
But this is the best time to inspect the physical copy of your book and upload any revisions. Remember, the additional uploads have a fee here. As well do any additional orders of your book.
Note:
Ten days before the on-sale-date IngramSpark starts printing and shipping out the pre-orders that have come in for your book. So, it is important that the book be completed and uploaded by this time- well before the publication date. For other distributors it could be 14 days. Be sure to check this time frame, so you’re completely revised files are uploaded on time.